The Dhampir and The Wolf
by Hope Hannigan
Summary: Gwenaël is a hald-breed vampire, also called Dhampir. He is looking for other of his kind. He was born in the early first century of our era. Follow his adventures through centuries until the day he meets his soul-mate, Leah Clearwater!
1. Prologue

The Dhampir And The Wolf

_AN : so… This is a little story I wrote once I finished my first Twilight Fanfic Morgana (or The Story of an Unusual Vampire), that you cannot find on ffnet yet (but I will update it, promise). _

_With this fanfic, I wanted to reconcile my love for European history and Twilight, and I think I did it pretty well. _

_FYI, Gwenaël is a Dhampir, meaning the offspring of a human mother and vampire father. He __will eventually find the love of his life after years... decades... centuries of struggling__.__Y__ou can check my YT video: __**www . youtube . com / watch?v=sZmw2LtwITk**__ (take off the spaces). I skim through centuries to deliver the essential to you, what makes him so exceptional to me..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Twilight Saga... Gwenaël and Morgana are mine, though, except for some traits belonging to Twilight and its rightful owner. _

_AND I do not earn anything, I just enjoy playing with their little virtual lives...  
_

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Prologue – I remember…

Heat

Heartbeats

Sweetness

Voice

Sleep

Narrow

Pain

Voice

Mouth

Teeth

BITE

Air

Worry

Mother

Worry

Fear

These are the first impressions I remember. I know little about the time I was in my mother's womb. Only these impressions. I remember how my mother's voice has felt to my growing ears. How I longed to see her. How I've been afraid and worried when I first saw the world. How I have felt different than my mother, and how I have felt different than my father.

I remember my father telling me my mother was going to be soon alright. That I had begun her healing by biting her to go out.

I remember the blood. The appealing and tasty blood. Although my father was grimacing any time he was giving me blood, I could only wonder why something so good could disgust him.

I remember the first time I laid my eyes on my mother, newly reborn, the need to reach and grab her. To be sure she really was there. I remember the ground under my hands and my knees, as I was coming closer to her.

I remember my parents talking together. I remember her clothing me, I remember the three of us going to hunt. I remember how my father's food didn't appeal us. I remember the fur of the first prey I saw dying. I remember my father yelling, and attacking my mother. I remember my mother grabbing me and leaving a fire burn where my father previously was.

I remember days passing by.

I remember my longing for love, more than only care. I remember trying to catch my mother's interest, and only meeting her dead eyes.

I remember the pain I was running from any time I was hunting alone. Trying to quench my thirst for love by blood. Unsuccessfully.

I remember feeling colder and colder inside until my heart stopped to ask for love.

I remember lying on the ground with a fawn, peacefully, and the sudden urge to hurt something hit me. And I felt the fawn was suddenly in pain, my hands in its fur. All I could do after that was ease its pain by killing it.

I remember the horror as I experimented and discovered I was causing pain to living beings. Only by wishing and touching it.

I remember how I never felt human, as my mother once had been, and how I never felt vampire either.

I remember feeling unique.

I remember feeling lonely.

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_AN : so that was the prologue… you can tell me now what you think or wait the first chapter… __Reviews are what make an author live… _


	2. Chapter 1 With Morgana

_AN : This is the short time our hero spent with his mother, after his birth. How they lived together, what they felt… _

_Disclaimer: I do not own, blah blah blah. You already know it. _

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Chapter one – With Morgana

When I came back from hunting, I could tell my mother was shaken by something. She looked panicked. There were so few emotions that touched her that I immediately felt worried.

"What's going on, mum?" I asked her, frowning.

"Three vampires visited. Three powerful ones. They wanted to see Cornelius."

"But he is…"

"I killed him, yes. Gwenaël, I kept your existence secret. I have a bad feeling about them. I don't trust them. They are gone, but I want us to move. We can't stay here, where they would find us."

"As you wish, mum."

I wasn't pleased about leaving. We had everything we wanted here. I was one year old, but I already reached her elbow. We left that night. We avoided humans during the whole trip, using our senses to go as far as possible from any village, from any human society. Only animals, our prey.

Then our lives went on peacefully during one decade or two.

Sometimes I had caught her worry eyes glaring at me, but more often her eyes looked dead. She looked feelingless. She was taking good care of me, I can't deny it. She was raising me, never shouting, and always explaining what was right or wrong in what I was doing.

She even helped me to figure out a use for my gift. A use that I could be proud of. I first felt terrified about that gift. What if my deep nature was a monster created to make living beings suffer? But she showed me my gift also was a way to ease the pain of my prey. I refined it until I could feel the whole body of my prey functioning, and decide exactly what was going to be damaged. Nerves. I focused on nerves. With no nerve connection, no way to feel any pain. Only peace before the death.

So I was feeling very hesitant about her. Did she love me? Had she shelled her feelings in herself because of some unknown disaster? Or was it simply the way she was, detached and remotely kind?

I knew I was searching something more. I needed to feel her love me. I needed her to tell me she loved me. But the words never crossed her lips. Never that I knew.

When I felt too afflicted about her lack of showing feelings, I was replaying the first time she held me in her arms. The way I was fitting there like I was meant to stay there forever. The way she brushed my already growing hair from my forehead. The way she was smiling at me. The way I was eager to express the adoration I was feeling for her, and not having any mean to do it.

She really was my entire world. I needed nothing else but her smile and her loving eyes. But she smiled rarely, and her eyes were like dead.

So I found myself going further and further to hunt, leaving her alone. I was then torn between the pain not being with her, and the relief not having to bear those lifeless eyes.

I wasn't able to live like that.

There must have been something else.

After seven years of an uncanny growth, I had stopped growing up. I had reached an adult weight and shape. I was taller than her, and larger. I had inherited her dark hair and her deep green eyes. I look a lot like a vampire because my green eyes are golden in places. My mother told me it was the way hers were when she was human. Unlike my mother, I have a heartbeat, I am warm, I am softer, weaker, and my senses are less developed, although I am not like humans either.

I don't belong to any of the races.

I am not a part of this world.

But I am as indestructible as a vampire.

"Gwenaël?"

My mother was calling for me. Again, worry and care in her voice, but no trace of love.

"Yes, mum?"

"I… I can cure people. I met a girl who had broken her leg, in the woods, and, as I wished it, it healed. It seems that I have the opposite gift that you have…"

"Great, mum."

I flinched at the lack of enthusiasm in my voice. If I had noticed that, she also did. Her half-smile faded. I wanted to kick my own ass. I desired so much to see her smile, and I made her first smile in a long time fade away.

"So you cured a girl?"

I tried to add more interest in my voice. Choosing to overplay it, I yawned, as if I just woke up from a nap.

That tricked her.

"You were sleeping?"

"Yeah… I was taking a small nap, hunting had tired me."

"Sorry, son. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Don't worry. Do you think you can heal everyone?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll go to her village and see if I can do something for the inhabitants."

"Mum, I thought we loathed them because they were making our preys run away?"

She seemed hesitant.

"What?" I rudely asked her.

"I was human, Gwenaël. I know how weak they are. I know how afraid they are to die. If I can help humans to heal… I'll have to. If I can heal everyone…"

"You'll become a freak for them."

"I already am a freak for them. The girl noticed there was something wrong with me."

"They are going to try and hunt you. Imagine what will happen if the Volturi discover humans know about vampires?"

"I won't tell anyone anything."

"Will you have control on how much they'll guess?"

"I have to try, Gwenaël. I feel it."

This discussion was becoming an argument. And I didn't want to see her sad face during days, months or even years. I sighed.

"Okay, go to that village and see what you can heal. If you need to do it, that's the good thing to do. If you really can cure humans, you are a blessing for them…"

"Gwenaël…"

"Please, don't speak about it anymore before you are satisfied with your test."

She looked like she wanted to say something more. I shook my head and left.

Soon after, she took off.

I couldn't deny I was worried for her. Was she going to be alright? And I thought about our future altogether for the first time. Was I able to live with humans? She had taught me the language, the way to act human. Was I able to stand to stay among them, being a freak among the freaks?

And for the first time in more than twenty years, a question entered my mind. An obsessive, impossible to get rid of question.

Was I the only one of my kind?

If my father stopped before killing my mum to give her a son, maybe other vampires did the same.

Or not.

A cold hand woke me up. I hadn't even realised I was sleeping. My eyes opened to discover Morgana, my dear mother I was going to abandon, beaming at me.

"I can heal them! All the wounds! I just can't heal them from illnesses. I can learn. I can learn how to cure them from diseases. I want to! I will go wherever the best doctors are and ask them to teach me everything. I will be their blessing…"

So we were going to abandon each other. My cruel self decided to be cruel. I had felt so much pain not feeling loved, it was her turn to feel pain.

"Come with me, Gwenaël. Learn it all like me. Your gift can be useful for medicine, as you can use it to scan people's body."

"I only did it with animals, mum," I protested before I could stop myself.

I deeply inhaled. Human smell was anywhere on her.

"I don't want to go anywhere close to humans. I… I will go on my own."

Her smile faded. Again. My cruel self retreated, leaving me bitter. I really was an ass. Why wasn't I able to do what pleased her? Why wasn't I able to do what might make her love me?

"Listen. I'm glad you found something to do with your life. I just don't feel this life is right for me. I want to… I want to find others of my kind, to see if I am the only half-breed."

She nodded.

"I understand."

She sighed.

"I suppose we will be living apart soon…"

"I suppose."

She hugged me. I nearly felt it. There was nearly a streak of love behind the hug. She kissed me on the cheek, and on the forehead.

"Be careful, and come back to me as often as possible."

"Where will you be?"

"I'll go in Greece, first. I've overheard someone in the village say they wanted to live there because there were the best doctors. I'll learn as much as I can from them. When you'll be looking for me, try to learn from humans where the most advanced medicine is. I'll be there."

"Okay. You already have planned anything…"

"I still have to learn to read."

"Read?"

That was a concept she hadn't explained to me yet. So she told me about books, papers, and how, with ink and pre-defined characters, you were able to save your thoughts, to send ideas to each other and to learn things. I was fascinated. I was going to make sure to learn that during my journey. Maybe clues were hidden in written stories.

"When will you go?" I asked her.

"Tomorrow."

"So I suppose it's a goodbye."

"Goodbye, son."

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_AN: So ? What did you think? Reviews are like air and water… _


	3. Chapter 2 Shipping

_AN : this chapter was truly a heartbreak for me… I tried to show how half-breed were lost in the human world, and their feelings. _

_Again... I do not own, whatever. I just enjoy writing, and Stephenie Meyer's universe is a good one to express oneself. She did such an amazing job that I felt the need to write about her world. Isn't that an awesome pay back to her?_

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Chapter two – Shipping

I was torn between my need to stay away from human beings, and my need to learn anything I could learn about vampires and half-breeds. I travelled through seas on a boat, unnoticed among the sailors. My features worried them a little, but I showed them I was a hard worker, and they soon valued my very presence. They were headed to Rome, by sea, avoiding the lands. Barbarians were everywhere. Although the Empire was powerful, small groups of brigands were attacking travellers.

Even if there was no risk I suffered in case of an attack, I really didn't want to show people there were mythical creatures living. And I knew that when I was sleeping, there was no way I wake up without strong enough stimuli.

I told to the crew my family was dead and I wanted to join them to see the world.

The doctor on board pitied me and taught me to read. As I was learning the letters, I was wondering if my mother was having as much luck in her journey as I had. I dearly wished yes.

My hardest episode on the ship was when one of the men became ill. As the doctor trusted me, I accompanied him to visit the sick man. I helped the doctor to examine him. And there I felt it. My gift was also working on humans. I restrained it, only feeling, without influencing his health. He was deadly sick. He was going to die within hours. And I saw in the doctor's eyes he knew that truth. I don't remember what was killing him. I just knew there was no way to cure him.

But I will never forget the doctor's words.

"I wish I have a way to ease his pain, because the next few hours are going to feel like hell for him. I hope he'll go and meet angels as soon as possible."

I hadn't fed with blood in weeks, eating the same disgusting stew the others were eating. And the doctor's words were tempting me beyond imagination. I was hesitating.

"I would like you to take the first shift to take care of this man. I trust you, Gwen."

No longer hesitating, I nodded. I kept my head low, to hide my brilliant eyes. I was faking taking care of him.

Soon I found myself alone with the sick man.

I leaned closer.

"Do you feel how sick you are?" I sweetly asked him.

"Hell yeah, boy. You can't imagine."

The man's voice was hoarse.

"Do you want me to ease your pain? I can make it end faster. So you can face Death like a man and not wait to beg Gods and Goddesses to end it."

"Can you do that, boy? Do you have the guts to do what needs to be done?"

I planted my brilliant and eager eyes in his.

"I am."

"So do this, son. And you will be my angel."

I slowly leaned in. I sniffed him. He wasn't as appealing as animals, but as thirsty as I was, my mouth filled with venom. My mouth opened to let my bare teeth enter his flesh.

Oh the relief blood brought. I killed him quickly, as I told him I was going to.

Once he was drained, I gently laid him on his bed. With the deepest respect, I said the prayer for the death they had taught me on the boat. I could feel the tears flowing from my eyes. My first murder. The first human I've ever killed. And it was a sick man.

I felt tears fill my eyes. I was a murderer. Prayers were useless. If I died, Heavens would remain closed in front of me. My mother was mortal when I was conceived. Only my father was immortal. What was I?

The cold hand of the man I killed escaped mine. Someone had come into the room. I slowly turned my head to see who was there. The doctor. Of course.

His eyes immediately saw the sailor was dead.

"Don't cry, Gwen. He was really sick. He was going to die. We all are going to die someday."

Couldn't he realize he was increasing my pain?

"I am sorry you witnessed his death. I know it must remind you your parents."

I slowly stood up. I needed to go away.

"I want to speak with you, Doctor. Later."

"Okay, son. Go get some fresh air."

I mumbled thanks.

Once outside I realized how the dead corpse smell had been oppressing me. And with the smell, a part of the guilt went away. I was holding on the rail, my eyes in the dark waters.

He was already dying. I only shortened his painful hours. I had killed him, but however, how long would I had been able to resist blood? I'm not a complete vampire, I can spend a lot of time without blood. But that doesn't mean I'm able to resist it infinitely. I still need it to function. And before I enlisted on this boat, I had almost exclusively fed on blood. Their more-veggie-than-meat stew wasn't enough for my vampire half. My human half wasn't satisfied with it, so how could the bloodthirsty beast in me be more satisfied?

I would have to find solutions, if I had to travel this way again, in the future.

The wind, smelling salt and sea-life, hit me in the face, bringing me back to present. I hadn't left any teeth marks on the sick man, so I wasn't afraid about questions the doctor might have.

My tongue brushed my lips. There was a faint taste of human blood on them. Disgusting. Animals tasted way better than this. I definitely wasn't a human killer.

I felt relief at that though. Now I was sure about something. A part of my guilt was coming from the fact I feared to become addicted to human blood by tasting it.

I smelled it before I saw it. We were approaching a big city.

An incredible mix of smells was hurting my sensible nose.

Humans. Dirtiness. Sweat. Death. Animals. Smoke. Fishes. Metals.

All these and many others were blending, leaving an olfactive mess to decode.

I dried the last tears off my cheeks. I was ready to face the future. Alone. Like a man.

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_A/N: okay, that was that. I told you, a heartbreak for me. Gwenaël is so hurt by his first human kill... _

_Reviews are my oxygen... So let me breathe! _


	4. Chapter 3 Roma

_A/N: disclaimer, I do not own anything, blahblahblah. Gwen is mine, though as the couple of other characters I created for this fic. Anything recognizable belongs to its original owner. I do not earn anything but having fun writing those lines._

_Now, let's discover what happens to Gwen during the next chapter..._

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Chapter three – Roma

The olfactory mess was Rome. La Bella Roma.

As soon as the boat moored, I took my pay and went away. The doctor had been trying to figure me out, and that freaked me out. I explained my weird behavior by the trauma of my parent's death emphasized by the sailor's death.

The city was fascinating. I no longer dreamed staying apart from humans. I could bear it. I could avoid being a monster. I could live with them long enough to learn what I needed to.

I took a deep breath. Most of the hotels were held by "lupae", whores. You had the choice between a night alone… and a night a bit less alone.

Feeling myself strong after the sailor's death, I chose to spend a sweetly accompanied night. And why not? My pay was enough to pay me any girlie in the town. And, at least, she was going to be safe with me. Wasn't she?

If I was going to stay among humans, I was going to experiment. And that certainly was a human experience.

Be human. Act human. Love human.

Tempting.

I let my nose lead me in the town. I stopped at the smell of irises. My eyes found the girl who had this odor. A whore.

I slowly took in her features.

Long black hair. Dark brown eyes. Suntanned skin. She was small, and lean. She looked fragile, or broken, or both.

I saw her brush away a small tear, thinking herself unnoticed.

I felt a sudden urge to hold her tightly and protect her. At least, she was going to have money, and a careful lover tonight.

I came closer and she startled when her eyes fell on me.

I tried a seductive smile. I had never tried that, and I had no way to know if it was efficient.

"Are you looking for something, mister?"

"I was looking for you."

She walked to me, moving her hips in an appealing way. I felt my whole body tense as I resisted the sudden need to hold her, kiss her, undress her, enter her.

She held her hand out and whispered "follow me". I did.

When I touched her, I unconsciously scanned her body. She wasn't sick. She wasn't hurt. She was perfect.

"Already hot?" She asked me, a smile stretching her lips.

Her taunting language and her body language were exciting me beyond words.

Her room was small, dark but clean. As it was a necessary accessory for her job, the bed was the masterpiece in the room.

She untied the fibula, the brooch that was holding her clothes altogether. And the soft fabric fell on the ground.

She was the first woman I ever saw naked, and Gods, she was beautiful. Her sweet irises scent, her soft hair spreading on her shoulders, her skin darker than mine, her breasts as round as apples. All these were making erotic thoughts burn inside me.

A metallic sound rang in my ears as she left the fibula fall on the ground. That made me snap out of my stupor. I crossed the steps between us and gently lifted her chin, to make her lips meet mine.

Her hands untied my clothes and she leaned away to watch me. She had a meaningful look in her eyes.

"I think we have some things to work out tonight."

My mouth twisted. She already figured out it was my first time with a woman.

"I like when I can have someone new to this."

She leaned closer, one hand on my neck, the other making its way down. I moaned.

"It's more interesting with someone new to this."

She found so interesting to have an affair with someone new that she was an incredible teacher. And I was good at learning. Or so she told me.

And my first night in Rome will always make me think about this city as a sweet and hot city.

The next morning, when I woke up, I was feeling good. Better than I ever had felt, if I didn't think about how much I was missing my mother. Cornelia was smiling in her sleep. I had been tender. I had been gentle. I had restrained my strength to not hurt her. Her hand was on my naked waist, and I was still amazed by how wonderful that night had been.

I pushed her hair from her face. Waking up, she opened an eye.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning."

"Last night was… intense."

"Yes, it was. Thank you."

She smiled. She didn't answer. And what would she have answered? I was paying her for this.

Shortly after, I stood up and got dressed. I handed her the money I owed her.

"Will you come back tonight?"

"I don't know," I honestly answered.

And, without adding anything, I took my things and left.

The first thing I was going to do was to find a teacher. To learn to read. Thanks to the doctor, I had the basic skills. But If I wanted to do some deep researches about mythical creatures, I was going to need more. I already knew Latin and my mother tongue was the barbarian language in Britannia. The further you need to travel, the more you need to know.

I ended in a pub, faking to drink bad wine with other people. My ears were opened to any sound. There were people from everywhere, with every skin color you could imagine as possible. My eyes, of course, got caught by someone with a skin as clear as mine. My heartbeat was the only one beating fast, so I knew he wasn't a half-breed like me, but I felt intrigued by him. Anyway, he wasn't what I was looking for.

An old small man came into the pub. He took a seat near the waitress.

"Hello, sweetie," I overheard him say.

"Hello, Cornelius. How are you doing? The kids are learning well?"

A teacher. Maybe he was what I needed.

"They are learning to become scribes. They need to learn well to have a future."

There we were. I had found my teacher. He still just didn't know.

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_A/N: So Gwen had his first experience... Let me know your thoughts about this, you know comments are like air and water to writers..._


	5. Chapter 4 Tin

AN : Sorry I've been MIA so long ! Well here comes the next chapter… I have quite a few more to add. I hope you enjoy the tales of Gwen's youth.

Chapter four – Tin.

I followed the teacher. My mouth twisted with disbelief. Was I cursed? Was it destiny? Fata, as the people here called it? First my father, than my first sexual experience, and now that teacher.

Cornelius, Cornelia. Corri, I tenderly thought, picturing the girl I had slept with in my mind. I shook my head. I had to focus on the actual situation.

And that situation didn't feel good to me.

I stopped. I wasn't going to ask this teacher to teach me to read. I was instead going back to that creepy pub to find someone else. I was going to ask questions, there. I was going to do it the human way, and not chasing people like a thirsty vampire.

The smells hit my nose when I stepped into the pub once more.

Nothing enticing in those smells. Human sweat, human moist, human all around the place.

I took the first seat available, and found myself actually pretty close to the blond guy I had noticed earlier.

"You found what you were looking for?" I heard a strong baryton voice ask, with a weird accent exotically tainting his words.

My head turned, and I caught the unbelievably blue eyes of the pale and blond man staring directly in mine.

I felt once more amazed by the fair colour of his features, skin, eyes, and hair.

All in him was screaming at me that he was a stranger. So was I.

I tentatively smiled.

"No, I gave up."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You gave up? But tell me what you gave up."

"I am actually searching someone who can teach me to read and write, and foreign languages. I only know Latin and my mother tongue, the language in Britannia. I want to travel a lot."

I felt the words uncontrollably running through my lips. Why was I explaining this to a complete stranger, when my first aim was to leave him clueless?

"I see," he slowly said.

He held his hand out, a wide and friendly smile on his face.

"I am Augustin. You can call me Tin. I think I'm the person in this pub who can teach you what you need to know."

I reluctantly took his hand. What the hell was this guy! I noticed he was eying me with an eyebrow raised.

I hadn't introduced myself yet.

"Gwenaël. Or Gwen if you prefer short names."

"Nice to meet you, Gwen."

I nodded in acknowledgement. I was feeling like the smallest of his ideas was the best I had ever heard.

I inhaled deeply, trying to catch his scent, to decode why he was so appealing to me. He smelled like musk, cinnamon, and a hint of pepper. Very agreeable mix. Not as pleasant as Corri's fresh irises scent, though.

"I come from Salona, in Dalmatia. There I've learned Goth, which is the barbarian language in the East of the Empire, Greek, Latin."

"Goth?" I asked. "I've never heard anything about Goths."

"You never heard about Goths?"

I shook my head.

"I've left my home a few months ago. It's the first time I travel far from Britannia."

"So I have many things to teach you. Let me guess, you had never left your mother's house before you left your country."

"Right."

He definitely was observant. I would need to be careful with him. And he had some kind of trick to press the truth out of me.

I felt disrupted. I needed to go out of here.

"Let's meet here tomorrow," I proposed him.

"Okay. Same time, same place."

I nodded, waved him goodbye and left the pub.

The night had come. I welcomed the darkness.

I needed something familiar and still to discover. I needed to feel soft arms wrapped around me. I needed Corri. I raced through the empty streets. I found her where she was yesterday.

My fists clenched when I saw a man talk to her. Malice and greed were clearly written on his face. When he leaned closer to Corri, I saw her turn her face away with a disgusted mimic on her face. He took her chin and she shook her head to avoid his hand. Her skin was marked where he had held her. I saw red. This lowlife was going to die. I came closer. None of them had noticed me.

"You still owe me money, Cornelia. I've been kind because I knew your father, but you have to pay your debts. All this money I've spent so your parents had a decent funeral… All this money I've spent to help you to keep your parent's house…"

His voice was as disagreeable as his features.

"I asked you more time. No one can pay what you've asked."

I felt my heart miss a beat when her clear voice rang. My instincts were screaming at me to go and protect her.

I stepped in their view, calm and composed.

"Cornelia, do you have any problem?"

Fear spread on her face. Did she fear for me or for the lowlife who had hurt her pretty face? She certainly had noticed last night how strong I was and how I had to restrain from hurting her. But humans were so irrational. I had no clue about her thoughts.

The guy was another affair. He was in the late fifties, and he looked weak, fat and weed. At least to my vampire self. As my vampire self was drowning my human self deep in my mind, venom was filling my mouth and my vision was tainted in red. I felt furious against that guy.

"Is he the one who forced you to sell your body night after night?"

"Gwen," she weakly said.

"It is none of your business, young brat."

Yes, I looked seventeen, although I was more or less thirty.

"She works to pay her debts, and it's definitely none of your business."

"It's my business, as you've hurt her."

He pushed Corri away. Her back hit the wall and she fell on the ground, unconscious.

I was enraged now. And he didn't know yet that her being conscious was the only thing that stopped me from attacking him.

I exposed my sharp teeth. Fear finally spread on his face as he understood I was dangerous and he turned to run away. Within a second, I was holding him, his neck exposed. His smell was making me sick, but he had to die and I knew it was the only way I could kill him.

A faint scream dying in his throat, my teeth sunk in his flesh. The taste of human blood was still disgusting. But I felt I was becoming used to it. I had to stop to kill humans, even if they deserved it. I had to stop to kill them this way. The lifeless body fell on the ground. I turned to check Cornelia's safety. She was alright, she was just knocked out. I took the corpse. The Tiber was close. His body disappeared in the black waters.

Within seconds, I was back at Corri's side. She moaned when I took her in my arms. I took off to reach her house. She opened her eyes when I laid her down on her bed.

"Gwen? What happened?"

"I asked him to go away after he hurt you. And I took you here."

Her eyes opened widely.

"You have blood on your face."

Damn! I forgot to make sure nothing remained on my face, as worried as I was for her.

"Please don't ask me any question," I begged her.

"I won't," she whispered.

My hand rose to reach her. She didn't flinch nor stiffen. I caressed her chin. Traces were already disappearing.

"Was he why you were crying, when I first saw you?"

"He was my father's friend. When my father and my mother died, he completely changed with me. In front of people, he acted kind and nice, but when I was alone with him, he threatened me. I was so frightened by him that I left him do whatever he wanted to do with me. I always knew he was able to hurt me."

She wrapped herself in her own arms, hands on shoulders, and her legs folded up. Her forehead was lying on her knees. She rocked herself, curled in a ball.

"He made me his toy. And when he tired of my body, he gave me to some of his friends. And when his friends had finished with me, he told me to go in the street and to earn money with my body to pay him back."

Tears were flowing from her eyes, her shoulders shaken by sobs. I could feel distress flowing from her. I took her in my arms.

"He will never hurt you anymore…"

"Gwen, I hate myself so much! I'm nothing more than a toy for men."

"Corri, you are not a toy… You are a charming and lovely woman. Your eyes are like dark and tender butterflies, your hair is like the most delicate silk, your skin is as sweet as flower petals, and you smell like the most beautiful irises in the blossoming season. You are sweet, and tender, and loving, and caring. I can clearly imagine you find a husband and have children."

She slowly was relaxing as I was speaking. Her eyes were widely opened, and her body was pressing on mine. I could feel her breath becoming erratic, her lips slightly parting.

"Stay with me, Gwen," she whispered.

My desire for her was overwhelming. I was going to show her how she deserved to be loved.

To show her my consent, I slowly lowered my head until our lips met. I kissed her and, when my tongue caressed her lips, she opened them to welcome me. Her taste was so wonderful on my tongue. I felt myself washed from the human blood I had drunk. Gently rubbing her back where I knew she had been hurt, my lips left hers and I made my way down to the small hole between her clavicles. As my lips followed her collarbone to her neck, I felt her slightly shiver. She grabbed my hair, pressing me closer.

"Gwen," she moaned.

"You deserve more, Corri. You deserve love; you deserve tenderness; you deserve kindness."

I untied the fibula. The fabric slowly fell down, revealing her breasts. My lips found them, my tongue circling the hardened nipples.

Her hands left my hair. She feverishly untied my clothes and pushed me on the bed. She wanted to control what was happening and, with my lack of experience, I was willing to oblige.

She was kissing me, my neck, my shoulder, my chest, slightly biting me from time to time, sending electric jolts through my already excited body.

"Ask me whatever you want, tonight, Corri. You are my mistress…"

She moaned with pleasure at my words.

"I will please you in every way you want me to please you," I murmured in her ear.

"Gwen, I want you."

I felt her sweetest flesh press against my hardest part.

And the universe disappeared.

AN : I love when a man is playing the sweetheart… and isn't Gwen a sweet young boy ?


	6. Chapter 5 Revelation

AN : When a Dhampir meets people who have an impact on him… Well. Enjoy )

Gwenaël - Chapter five – Revelation

Corri was unbelievable.

Tin was unbelievable.

The effect they had on me was unbelievable.

I couldn't even recognise myself.

I was sure I was unable to create any bond with humans. How wrong I was. Despite the blood thirst, I felt really similar to them.

To solve my blood thirst issue, I found a part time job in a slaughterhouse. This job had many advantages. I could ease the animals' pain, I could find more blood than I had ever drunk, and I could earn enough money to pay my lessons with Tin and help Corri.

So I spent every morning in the slaughterhouse, every afternoon with Tin and every night with Corri.

I still had a strange feeling about Tin. Every time he talked to me using imperatives, I found myself obeying, whatever my first intention was. That made me a bit uncomfortable. But he was such a good teacher and an interesting person that I kept him as close to me as I could.

Maybe humans were gifted, like my mother and I were. And his gift was his ability to make people obey. Since I had guessed that, I watched him closely interact with people. He seemed to know about it and to use it when he needed it. And, to my relief, he didn't misuse it.

And he was amazed about what a fast-learner I was. Of course, I wanted to tell him, I'm partly vampire. Everything I hear, see, learn is deeply engraved in my memories. But I definitely didn't picture myself telling him that. That would scare the shit out of him. Wouldn't it?

"May I ask you a question, Tin?"

His blue eyes questioningly looked up. He was reading a parchment, trying to find something interesting to teach me.

"Shoot," he simply said.

"Do you know the legends and myths of your people well?"

"I've always been an erudite. So I guess yes, I know most of them."

One of his eyebrows was cutely raised. Ew… Did I just think about my friend and teacher as cute?

"What's the point?" He asked.

"I was wondering if you knew any legend about… Bloodsuckers…"

I froze. Now he knew the purpose of my researches, he could just command me to tell him why I needed to know that and the fateful words would fly through my mouth. All I wanted was to have control on myself during the upcoming conversation.

"Let me think…"

His forehead creased with concentration, his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, his eyes unfocused.

I came back to my papers, waiting for him to speak to me.

I was busy with some Greek grammar when he snapped out of his concentrated state.

"My grandma told me a story," he begun.

I raised my head at the sound of his voice. He seemed thoughtful and still out of focus.

"Bloodsucker, is it?" He asked.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Creatures that drain blood out of their victims…"

"I have a legend. I even have names for these creatures. Because they look like humans."

I was completely thrilled. Did I already have clues, so soon after the beginning of my researches?

"Stefan and Vladimir," he said.

I saw him shudder. What an interesting reaction to have for a myth!

"It was a long time ago. When we weren't a Goth kingdom. My people were dominated by frightening creatures. They looked like humans, they tried to act like humans, but everything in their features was screaming they were something else. Something impossible to kill. Something that was able to kill you within seconds. You, your family, and everyone you had come to know in your life. So to please them and to keep them away, we paid tributes. Once a year, every village had to give them one kid. But not any kid. We had to give them a child that was in the late teens, good-looking, and most of all precious. Every year they came and took one, seeming to choose randomly. My grandma told me that one year they pointed her, telling they would take her the year after. But they never came back. We don't know what happened to them, and we still fear to see them reappear. But my grandma married and had children, who had children when their turn came. The Greek empire had grown and Salona was Greek soon after. And now the Greek Empire is a part of the Roman Empire. All these changes happened in my parents and grandparents young time. Anyway, the elders explain our weakness when we faced Greeks with this story."

He eyes me cautiously. Then he asked me a question, leaving me my free will to answer.

"Does this story satisfy you curiosity? Is that the kind of information you're seeking?"

"Not really. I…"

I feel embarrassed and I felt the heat of the blush touch my cheeks. Hell, I wasn't a teenage shy girl!

"I need to know if they actually got… involved with women. If they had children with human women…"

"You know something I don't know…"

"Please tell me if they had sexual relations with women… That's all I need to know."

"Not that I know. Gwen, these are legends, aren't they? Anything can happen in legends and myths. You just have to imagine a pretty or scary story and tell it. It's all it takes."

I took a deep breath. I wanted to confide in him. We knew each other for four months now. He had taught me the complex Latin writing, and was teaching me the more complicated Greek written language. He was using his gift on purpose, and even tried to avoid and use it unconsciously. I could even see myself turn him in a vampire. He would be just perfect. He was only in the late twenties, but he had seen and learned more things than most elders.

And I had to admit I was fascinated by him.

And we were completely alone at his house.

"Tin, I know you are eager to know always more… Do you want to know more about me?"

"I'd like to, Gwen. But I know your personal history is a sensitive topic for you."

So he had noticed and he kept away from this subject, knowing it would hurt me.

I sighed. He was too kind with me.

"I'd like to understand you, Tin. I pay you with a miserably small amount of money, you spend all your afternoons with me since we first met in that pub, and you never asked me a question about my personal life, although we both know you can learn the truth easily."

He looked shocked.

"How do you know?"

"I'm not the most observant person, but there are things you cannot hide to people you meet every day. I'm sure you also noticed things about me. Anyway, I know that you can… influence people to get what you want. With an accurate choice of words, you can lead people according to your will."

"Since when have you figured that out?"

"Since you made me tell you what I was looking for, that first day."

He shrugged.

"Well, if I hadn't, we weren't friends now, were we?"

"I suppose you're right."

I deeply inhaled, filling my lungs, trying to find the courage to talk to him. I was hoping it was not going to break our friendship.

"Bloodsuckers exist," I whispered.

He heard me. His heart nearly stopped and then began to race.

"The story your grandma told you is probably true. And I think you know it."

The way he shuddered when he told the vampires' names was my proof.

"Even if the bloodsuckers are craving for human blood, some of their males are strong enough to have sex with human women. They don't even need to force them, they are attractive to humans. And a few weeks later the half-breed baby makes its way out of its mother, using its teeth to reach the outside. I guess the less lucky mothers end up dying. Even if the lucky ones, if I may say, become bloodsuckers as well."

Tin was eying me with an unreadable face. I felt uneasy. Maybe it was too much information?

"You are a half-breed."

He was a quick thinker. Even if he hadn't ordered me anything, he surprised me so much that the answer was obvious on my face.

"I'm searching for other people of my kind. Half-breed kids, who survived the pregnancy and managed to come to life. I need to know if I am the only one or if other children have been created. I need to know about myths related to bloodsuckers."

He stood up, panic on his face.

"Tell me what you eat."

"Animal's blood, mostly. I also can eat human food. And I killed two people. One already dying and one who deserved to die because he was harassing a girl. I won't drink your blood. Never."

And as I said it I knew it was true. I didn't want to see him out of my life. I didn't want to hurt him. I wanted him to understand and be my friend.

I felt more and more panicked as he stayed there, straight on his shaking legs, his hands clenching the back of his chair, his eyes widely opened watching me.

"Say something," I begged, unable to bear his silence.

AN : There, the secret has been revealed. What do you think?


	7. Chapter 6 Bridge

Gwenaël -Chapter six – Bridge

"Say something… Anything… Please…"

I didn't like to plead like that but I couldn't bear his silence.

"I told you I wasn't going to drink your blood. Anyway I prefer animal's blood. I even eat human food."

He seated back in front of me.

"I knew you were special, he said, his eyes never leaving mine. I knew you were one of a kind. But I never imagined anything like that. Just let me time to… digest this."

His heartbeats were calming down. So focused on his face and trying to read his reaction there, I hadn't noticed his heart racing until it calmed down.

"You are some kind of mythical creature… Right?"

"Yes…"

I didn't see why he was asking me questions like that.

"Your father is a vampire…"

"Was. He's dead, maybe I'll tell you how it happened after."

"Ok. Your father was a vampire. And your mother was a human…"

"Now she's a vampire."

He nodded, acknowledging this fact.

"My father turned her so she didn't die after giving me birth. It's more or less impossible for human women to survive this kind of pregnancy. The only way to survive is to receive enough vampire venom to become one."

"Wait! Vampires are venomous?"

"Well… It's one of their weapons. We don't have blood or saliva. We have venom that runs through our veins, make our mouths, eyes and some other parts moist so they can work. This venom is more or less poisonous. It turns humans into vampires."

"Are you venomous?"

"I am. But I can't be sure I might change a human as I never tried before."

"Are you immortal?"

This question surprised me.

"I don't know," I honestly answered. "That's a part of the whys I want to know if there are other half-breeds like me. I need to know more about myself. I've stopped to grow any older twenty-five years ago, when I reached maturity."

"I have so many questions for you…"

"I know. I have so many unanswered questions myself. But we may try to figure all that out together?"

"I just have one more question for today."

"Okay."

"Why do you prefer animal's blood? Aren't vampire meant to drink human's? It's cool that you prefer animal, I wouldn't want you to desire my blood but still… A bloodsucker who doesn't want human blood…"

"I know that's unusual. With my mother we have a theory. When my mother was pregnant, she needed blood to feed me inside her, human food wasn't enough. But my father already had drained any people within miles. So his only choice was to give my mother animal's blood. That's probably where we took our diet."

"Interesting."

"That's why my father died. When he saw our preference for animal's blood, he tried to kill my mother, saying it was not natural for vampires to feed this way. My mother… she just protected herself and her newborn child."

My jaws clenched. It was still painful to speak about her. Where was she? Was she coming closer to her dreams? Had she found unexpected reserves of love deep inside her cold heart? How was she going to welcome me if we ever met again someday?

"She must be brave, to have faced your father…"

"I think she is. She is gifted, you know? She can heal people's wounds. She can repair people."

"And you? Are you gifted?"

"My gift is her opposite. If I touch someone, I can feel any of this person's veins, bones, nerves. I can break any bone, cut any nerve connection or the fragile skin if I wish to while I'm touching the person. Or I should say living creature, I never tried it on humans. But I think it works on humans. There is no reason why it wouldn't work on humans."

I turned to the window. The evening was bringing a deep smell that reminded me the sea. Corri was going to wait for us.

"Do you still come for dinner?" I enquired.

"Of course! I'd like to meet the woman who had the guts to sleep with a possibly bloodthirsty creature."

"She doesn't know about it yet."

"Do you plan on telling her someday?"

"Maybe… I don't know. I didn't exactly plan to tell you all this."

"But I didn't force you," he objected.

"I know. It just seemed to be the right thing to do. I value your friendship, Tin, and you can't imagine how much."

A faint blush touched his cheeks. It made him look vulnerable.

"I value your friendship too."

A smile played on my lips as we headed to the house I shared with my sweet lover, Cornelia.

Our relationship was evolving in a way I found hard to understand. I tried so hard to keep distant feelings for her, but I discovered a few days ago that I was deeply in love with her. And the changes were so small and discreet that I didn't notice them.

Beside the fact she looked beautiful and smelled agreeably, she was smart, insightful, kind, adorable… I would need days to list some of her qualities, and still have an incomplete list. When her parents were alive, they made anything they could to let her learn like a boy. They paid private teachers and everything influence and money could do to ease her studies had been done.

And now she was free from the second person I've ever murdered, her face completely changed. As pretty as she was before, she was now breathtaking. Her smile, her eyes, the sweet line of her cheeks… Everything was attractive in her, for me. She was like Galatea, the statue of his perfect lover Pygmalion had sculpted in white marble, brought to life by Aphrodite.

When we arrived, Corri was already waiting for us, an impatient smile playing on her lips. She looked so beautiful that I wanted to take her and disappear in our room to make love to her the whole night. The last few months weren't enough for me. I was craving for more.

"Cornelia, here comes my friend Augustin. Augustin, here comes my dear Cornelia."

Tin greeted Corri.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I have to say that Gwen can't stop talking about you everyday."

She slightly blushed.

"Nice to meet you too, Augustin. Gwen praised you so much I felt I had to meet you. You help him so much."

Once the awkward moment of the introductions gone, we went inside and made ourselves comfortable around the table for the dinner.

I felt nearly complete. If I weren't missing my mother so much that moment would be perfect. The man I came to consider as a friend, and the woman I came to consider as my love.


End file.
